What does the VLOOKUP function do in Excel?

The VLOOKUP function in Excel is specifically designed to search for a value in the first column of a specified range or table and then return a corresponding value from the same row in a different column. This functionality is particularly useful for looking up and retrieving data associated with specific identifiers, such as finding a product price based on its ID or locating a student's grade based on their student number.

The function works by taking four arguments: the value you want to search for, the range in which to search, the column number from which to return the result, and an optional argument to specify whether you want an exact match or an approximate match. By using VLOOKUP, users can efficiently manage and analyze large datasets by retrieving relevant information based on specific criteria.